Introduction

The global rise of far-right politics, especially in North America and Western Europe, is a cause for concern. In this introduction, I will analyze the relationship between the far-right and the capitalist media, specifically focusing on the news industry. The news industry plays a crucial role in spreading dominant ideologies. Drawing on theories of hegemony, ideology, and media, mainly through a historical materialist lens inspired by thinkers like Antonio Gramsci, Theodor Adorno, and Louis Althusser, I will also consider non-Marxist theorists such as Noam Chomsky and Sheldon Wolin. My research aims to show how news organizations, under neoliberal capitalism, contribute to the rise of far-right movements by promoting conservative views and discrediting socialist policies. This news coverage, combined with the structural changes brought by neoliberalism, weakens democratic institutions and allows the far-right to act as a “safety net” for capitalism during crises. The introduction explores how the mass media functions as a mouthpiece of the ruling class and a political player in creating and perpetuating ideology while shaping public discourse.